Roundabout rules without the spin may help avoid road fine

Peter GardinerWhat is in The Spray that Peter Gardiner uses so liberally on the sporting shonks and shysters every Thursday? Pete rants at all the sporting injustices at this world…like why can’t Darren Lockyer go back to playing fullback and why the hell did they put Eddie McGuire in charge of everything?

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NOOSA'S hot letters topic at the moment is how to enter those black holes of road rules - roundabouts.

It's enough to make your head spin because Noosa has a galaxy of them ready to entrap those who bravely go where others seem to lose the plot.

Well the state's peak motoring body - the RACQ - has weighed into the debate, trying to steer people in the right direction both on and off these confounding bits of bitumen that most Noosa folk know are far better than time-wasting traffic lights.

RACQ road safety adviser Joel Tucker said the motoring body regularly received complaints about drivers who incorrectly used roundabouts and endangered others.

So here goes nothing:

"Failing to correctly indicate on roundabouts is an offence that could see you with a $66 fine and two demerit points," Mr Tucker said.

"Not only is incorrectly indicating illegal, it's also a danger to other motorists on the roundabout. You can prevent confusion or crashes on roundabouts by knowing how it works. A vehicle approaching a roundabout must give way to vehicles already on the roundabout.

"Drivers should pay attention to signs to plan well in advance which exit they wish to take and obey the road markings, such as arrows, regarding the use of designated lanes."

Mr Tucker likened a roundabout to a clock face.

"If you're leaving the roundabout before 12 o'clock, indicate left while approaching the roundabout and turn left from it," Mr Tucker said.

"If you're going straight ahead through a roundabout, don't indicate before entering, but indicate left when you leave. And if you're leaving the roundabout after 12 o'clock, indicate right on approach and left when you exit.

"The important thing to remember is to always indicate left when exiting - it's that simple."